Canada’s Leslie Sexton wins Philadelphia Marathon
Sexton smashed the course record in a new personal best of 2:28:34
In one of the final races on the fall marathon calendar, Canada’s Leslie Sexton won the Philadelphia Marathon on Sunday, shattering the course record in 2:28:34. This time puts Sexton sixth on the Canadian all-time list, behind Krista DuChene.
Leslie Sexton, women’s champion, at the Philadelphia Marathon! She shattered the women’s record with a time of 2:28:34 #phillymarathon pic.twitter.com/w1VBXsZxg7
— Katie Katro (@KatieKatro6abc) November 21, 2021
Sexton has been having an excellent season, kicking off the fall with a win at the virtual Canadian 5K championships in 15:37. This was her first Canadian 5K title, where she outran Tokyo Olympians Julie-Anne Staehli and Alycia Butterworth for the win. She followed that up with another win, this time in-person at the Canadian 10K Championships in Toronto, where ran to a new personal best of 32:04, more than a minute faster than her previous best time.
The Philadelphia Marathon was the perfect cap to a stellar season, where Sexton knocked off kilometres like a metronome, keeping an almost perfectly consistent pace throughout the entire 42.2 kilometres. She finished a full two minutes ahead of the next best woman, Lexie Thompson of Utah, who placed second in 2:30:37, followed by Hirut Guangul of New York in 2:33:44.
Minnesota’s Mike Chesire won the men’s race in 2:13:28, followed by Dylan Gearinger in second in 2:14:54 and Donald Cowart in third in 2:17:24. For a full list of results, click here.